Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Winter fairisle hat

The temperature, even in inner London, was minus two at half-past eight this morning when I took Olivia to school. If I'd been working I would have left the house at ten past six, when I suspect it would have been even colder. It is even getting a little bit too cold for my liking now.But of course the redeeming feature of this teeth-shuddering weather is that I can layer myself up in shawls, hats and armwarmers until I look like a woolen Mrs Tiggywinkle. Last night I came home from work to find a parcel from my Mum containing the most wonderful hat which she had knitted for me.

Tired eyes, happy smile, new hat.

It is a slouchy fairisle beanie hat, knitted from Kate Davies's Tantallon pattern, with a few size modifications. You can see all the details on my Mum's Ravelry page, here. The extra rows make it more of a slouchy shape, which I love. It is incredibly warm, and comfortable, and I don't think you're going to see me wearing anything else on my head for a very long time.I bought Mum Kate Davies's new book, The Colours of Shetland, for Christmas. I love every single pattern in there, and even if you weren't going to knit anything from it, the book would be worth buying for the glorious photos alone. I've not attempted any fairisle knitting myself yet. It baffles me in the way that sock knitting once did; but I got the hang of that, and now love making socks, so perhaps it won't be too much longer before I give fairisle a go.For now though, I need to curl up on the sofa with my new hat on, a shawl around my shoulders and a quilt over my knees and have a nap. All this caring for other people is quite exhausting.

9 comments:

It is cold isn't it, -2.5ºC at lunch time in the wilds of Berkshire!The hat is lovely, I like the more slouchy shape, beanies don't seem to suit me. I'm a big fan of Kate Davies patterns and I have her new book, one day when you have more time, I'm sure you will be tempted to try some fairisle.

Oooh, I do LOVE a hat-but have an embarrassingly largw head.Have just bought myself a mans fairisle hat in the fat face sale which does the job and sat eaing my tea last night with it on-cold kitchen! I must confess though, the colder the better, I LOVE this weather-bring on the snow!!woohoo!!

Oh my word, what a fantsatic hat! How clever of your mum - fairisle scares the pants off me - and how fortunate it's arrived as I reckon it could come in useful this weekend...So pleased to hear the nursing is going well: you'll be through the first year before you know it!

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